1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector with an integral cover, in which a housing body having a terminal accommodation chamber has a cover continuously and integrally provided thereto via a displaceable or flexible hinge and configured to close an opening formed in the housing body.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show the configuration of a connector with an integral cover (rear holder) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 8-185919. A housing 1A of a connector 1 is formed, at each of the upper and lower sides, by an enclosure or housing body 2 and a cover 3. Terminal accommodation chambers 4 are provided in the housing body 2, in which metallic terminals 5 are accommodated. An opening 6 is provided in the rear half of a top wall of the housing body 2 to allow operational access to the metallic terminals 5 in the terminal accommodation chambers 4 to enable, for example, insulation displacement connection of insulated electric wires W to the terminals 5. The opening 6 can be covered by the cover 3 that is provided continuously with the housing 2 via a flexible band-shaped hinge 7.
In the above-noted configuration, to facilitate holding of the cover 3 to the housing body 2, the flexible hinge 7 is formed thin and soft, so that its own force of repulsion does not hinder the task of holding the cover 3. It however is impossible to maintain the cover 3 in an open position with good stability using just the soft flexible hinge 7, and a temporary holding piece 8 is provided at a front end part of the housing body 2, distanced from the flexible hinge 7, to temporarily hold the cover 3 in the open position.
After connection of the electric wires W to the metallic terminals 5, when covering the opening 6 with the cover 3, as shown in FIG. 5B, the temporary holding piece 8 is cut away, to make the cover 3 free to move. In this condition, the flexible hinge 7 has a tendency to urge the cover 3 to swing toward a close position.
In the above-noted connector of the past, when cutting away the temporary holding piece 8, an undue force might be imposed on the soft flexible hinge 7, with the fear of deforming or damaging the flexible hinge 7. Additionally, cut parts of the temporary holding piece 8 are left projecting outside the housing 1A, constituting a hindrance when fitting the connector with a mating connector.
The present invention has been made with such points in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a connector with an integral cover in which the cover can be held in an open position, without using a temporary holding piece.
An aspect of the present invention to achieve the object is a connector with an integral cover, comprising an enclosure enclosing a terminal accommodation chamber, the enclosure being formed with an opening for access to the terminal accommodation chamber, a cover to close the opening, and a flexible hinge joining the cover to the enclosure, the flexible hinge having a tendency to hold the cover in an open position relative to the opening.
According to this aspect, the flexible hinge holds the cover open to allow access to the terminal accommodation chamber.
Another aspect of the present invention to achieve the object is a connector with an integral cover, in which a housing body having a terminal accommodation chamber has a cover continuously and integrally provided thereto via a flexible hinge and configured to close an opening formed in the housing body, wherein a holding hinge is provided in a vicinity of a pivot point of rotation of the cover by the flexible hinge, for temporarily holding the cover in an open position thereof on the housing body and to be forcibly deformed to allow for the cover to be moved to a close position by means of the flexible hinge.
According to this aspect, as a holding hinge for temporarily holding the cover is provided in a vicinity of the pivot point on which the cover is rotatable by the flexible hinge, even without cutting away the holding hinge, it is possible by merely forcibly deforming the holding hinge, thereby allowing rotation of the flexible hinge, to move the cover to the close position while using the flexible hinge.